Naruto of the Explosion Style
by triforcemeralds
Summary: Naruto was born with a kekkei genkai that he should never have had. With the huge political upheaval this might cause his abilities are kept hidden from everyone. Naruto with Deidara's kekkei genkai. Clever Naruto since the ability works well with his prankster mind. Slightly AU, but will follow the timeline of canon.
1. Prologue

**For those of you who are following me from Fox in Tokyo, I have not abandoned it. It's my hope that purging this from my system will allow me to resume writing and get off this horrible writers block. For those of you where this is new, I hope you enjoy my retelling of Naruto with a slight twist.  
**

**I will use English for almost everything except for a few exceptions. The main ones being the three academy jutsu, and the suffixes that the Japanese use.**

**A/N: I tried to spruce this up a bit. I hope it worked.**

**Disclaimer: This applies to any and all chapters that may be added in the near future. I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! Damn lawyers can go extort someone else now.**

* * *

Minato and Kushina both stared at their child with love as they slowly began to fade. The Kyuubi had broken free, wreaking havoc upon the Leaf Village. With no other options left, Minato sealed the beast into his own son. The Kyubi tried to stop the sealing by killing Naruto but Kushina and Minato sacrificed themselves to save him. They coughed up blood as the giant claw through their stomachs slowly killed them.

"N-Naruto, make sure to grow up big and… and strong." Kushina coughed harshly as she spoke to the child. Her eyes shone with unshed tears and her voice wavered with grief. "Make sure you always… stand up for what's right… and never… give up. And stay away… from the three shinobi vices. Never drink until you're at least twenty, and stay away from gambling. If you ever," here she coughed once more while blood dripped from her chin. "If you ever… find a girl, make sure that… she is a… strong one. And Kami forbid you ever… end up with a fangirl." She watched as his hands opened up showing small mouths. "Don't ever… let anyone… tell you that you're odd because of those… those hands. You're a special child. You're my son."

Minato watched as Kushina seemed to collapse in on herself. "Your mother has already given you loads of good advice, now it's my turn." He gently stroked his son's face. "You have been given a great gift, and a terrible burden. It is my hope that you will be a hero, but I know better." Kushina cried softly as Minato continued to speak. "Find people who will accept you and never let them go. Become the man that I know you were born to be!" Forming a hand sign to help his concentration, he yelled out "Hakke Fuin!"

Both of them toppled forwards as the Kyuubi disappeared into the seal. This is the scene that Hiruzen and the ANBU stumbled upon.

"Minato!"

"Ah, Sarutobi. You're just in time," Minato managed weakly as he lay there.

Sarutobi knelt beside the two. "Just hang on. We can get you to a healer in two minutes."

Minato just shook his head. "No good. I used the Shiki Fuin. My life is forfeit. And Kushina has already left us."

Sarutobi looked on sadly. He never dreamed that he would live to outlast his successor. His eyes turned to the child between the two. His eyes widened as he saw the child's hands. He kept quiet, however. "Is this him?"

Minato smiled. "My son, Naruto." He watched the Third pick him up. "Please Sarutobi, my boy is a hero to the village," Minato's eyes clouded as he seemed to stare off into the future. "Please, please tell the village he is a hero!" The desperation in his voice alone was enough to break Sarutobi's heart.

"I will do as you ask," he promised as the child started to fuss.

"Thank you," Minato said as he shut his eyes and embraced the sweet relief of death. Sarutobi and the ANBU all hung their heads. The Third gently closed the leader's eyes.

"May you rest in peace," he said. "None of you are to speak of the boy's lineage on penalty of death." His ANBU just nodded, too taken with grief. They all took off for the village as fast as they could to spread the news.

* * *

Sarutobi sat in his office waiting for Jiraiya to arrive. Immediately upon arrival in the village, he was forced to attend a council meeting. The meeting could have ended much worse than it did all things considered. However, he was in no way satisfied with the results.

_Flashback_

Sarutobi sat down just as the council began. He turned his eyes to the faces in front of him.

"Since it is obvious what we shall be discussing, why don't we skip the formalities and get to the point," Sarutobi said.

Immediately the civilian members leaped up. "We need to kill it before it finishes the job," one of them spat while the others agreed.

"That is not an option," Danzo stated as he rose from his seat. "The jinchuriki have always been used to keep the other nations at bay. We kill the child, the rest of the nations will be at our doorsteps in a month."

"Then what would you suggest," the civilians said.

"I propose he be given to me for training," Danzo said as he swept his gaze across the room. "Under my tutelage, he will become a weapon that Konoha will use to strike fear in the elemental nations."

"Hell no!" Tsume snarled as she jumped from her seat. "You will not brainwash our container with your methods."

"I agree," Shukaku stated. "The boy cannot be allowed to undergo emotional trianing with the Kyubi ready to snap him up at a moment's weakness."

"Then what would you do? Take the boy in yourself?" Danzo asked. That opened the floodgates as every other clan jumped in.

"Silence!" Sarutobi yelled as he stood up. "Neither of your suggestions are viable options. Shikaku is right, the emotional training of ROOT might give the Kyubi a foothold to escape. However, he cannot join a clan because he will be the founder of his own." That brought everyone's attention to him in a second. "This boy was born with the Explosion Style kekkei genkai." He showed the boy's palms to the council causing many to go wide eyed.

"Damn, that's troublesome," Shikaku stated. All the veterans remembered that clan. Their skills made them particularly useful on the battlefield and for infiltration missions.  
"What will happen then," Danzo said.

"He will be raised like any other orphan of the Leaf with a few exceptions. I will send Jiraiya to Iwa to try and find some information on this kekkei genkai. He will be given any information he needs to utilize his kekkei genkai. Until then his kekkei genkai will be sealed away. No one is allowed to speak of his kekkei genkai on penalty of death. The mention of his status as a jinchuriki is also forbidden. We cannot allow word to leak out and bring assassins into the village." He swept his eyes across their faces. It was quite easy to tell that the civilians would try to make the boy's life miserable. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to see Jiraiya right now."

Danzo watched his rival disappear, his eyes cold and calculating, while the rest of the room descended into chaos once more.

_Flashback End_

The Third sighed before turning to the window of the tower. "You can come out now Jiraiya."

The toad sage leapt through the open windows. "Never could get anything past you sensei." His words rung hollow, the life and spark torn to bits with the death of an apprentice he considered a son. "Is this my godson?"

The Third nodded. "We've run into something unexpected."

Jiraiya was instantly all business. "Is it the seal?"

Sarutobi shook his head. "No, the anomaly lies on his hands."

"His hands?" Jiraiya asked confused before he opened the clenched hands. "Th-this is! This is the same ability as the Tsuchikage's apprentice!"

"The kekkei genkai of Iwa, Explosion Release." Sarutobi watched as Jiraiya seemed to collapse into the chair behind him.

"How?" was all Jiraiya could ask.

Sarutobi just frowned. "I don't know. He was born with this ability, which makes him an unbelievably precious gem as he can pass on this ability." He turned his eyes on Jiraiya. "However, that leaves us in a bit of a bind. I have little knowledge on how this ability works."

Jiraiya's eyes seemed to light up. "And you need me to infiltrate Iwa to find any information I can."

"Exactly," Sarutobi turned to his student fully. "I don't care how long it takes you so long as no one knows you were there. We cannot allow this information to leak, especially in Iwa. But before you leave, I need you to seal away his arms."

Jiraiya looked up in thought. "I believe I have something that might work. I'll key the seal to your blood so that only you can release it."

"Excellent," Sarutobi said. "_I will see this boy as a hero, just as I promised Minato. He will burn with a will of fire greater than all who have come before._"

* * *

**Please tell me what you think after reading the first chapter.**


	2. chapter 1: Explosion Style unveiling

**Here's chapter 1. Please read the author's note at the bottom before you leave.**

**A/N: slight changes to accommodate the changes in the prologue.**

* * *

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZT

*SLAM*

A small bandaged hand rested atop an alarm clock that looked like it had taken many years of abuse. Following the hand were arms that were wrapped up as well. They met at the body of a small eight year old boy. His sleepy blue eyes blinked owlishly at the clock.

Naruto let out a groan. "It's way too early." He lay back down before bolting upright. "Crap! I was gonna convince Jiji to make me a ninja today!" He became a whirlwind of destruction as he began throwing things around looking for his clothes. Throwing his black shorts and spiral t-shirt on, he dashed for his window. He looked back and grimaced at the destruction left behind in his apartment.

"Yahooo!" He leapt out the window laughing at the curses thrown his way. Grabbing onto a gutter, he slid down before speeding off down the streets. Several villagers cursed while certain shinobi just smiled.

* * *

The Third Hokage sighed pitifully as he sorted paper after blasted paper past him. His ANBU would notice every once in a while that he would unconsciously form a half tiger seal with his free hand. They all snickered from the shadows at the pitiful display. In a puff of smoke a small frog appeared. Poor little thing froze in place as all the ANBU appeared with kunai.

"Hold," Sarutobi said as he watched with anticipation. He was not disappointed as Jiraiya slowly climbed out of the frog. "So you made it back. ANBU, leave now." A shimmer of air marked their disappearance.

"Was the mission successful?"

Jiraiya let loose a huge smile. "It worked perfectly. Normally, this would have taken less time, but I wanted to be sure that no one knew we were looking into this. The best way to do this was to pose as a merchant who was supposed to arrive in Iwa. It took a pretty penny from me, but I was able to buy his shop." Here Jiraiya pulled out a scroll. "All of the information I gathered during my six years as a citizen was compiled here."

Sarutobi accepted the scrolls while Jiraiya continued. "There's a separate scroll inside with the specific information you wanted. I was able to rather quickly get the information I needed, but I stayed a long time to make it believable. While I stayed I gathered information from my contacts as well as my own observations."

Sarutobi's jaw slowly dropped as he read the wealth of information. He grabbed the small scroll that contained the techniques before he quickly closed the scroll of info. "Jiraiya, this has to be the most detailed report on the military of Iwa I have ever seen!" He quickly jumped up and summoned his ANBU.

"Sir!" they yelled as they appeared.

"Take this to Ibiki. I want him to have someone catalogue all the information in this immediately!"

"Yes sir!"

Sarutobi sat back down to read as the ANBU disappeared. Just as he opened the scroll a large crash sounded throughout the tower.

"BRAT, GET BACK HERE!"

"WHY SHOULD I SLOWPOKE?!"

Sarutobi just laughed as he listened to the chaos below him.

"I take it that's him?" Jiraiya asked drily as he watched his sensei.

The door burst open as Naruto rushed inside followed by several ANBU. He smiled brightly while the ANBU restrained him.

"Hey Jiji!"

"We're sorry sir. We'll escort him out."

"No no, it's fine. I needed to see him anyway."

"Sir," and suddenly Naruto was free.

"So cool, 'ttebayo!" Naruto said with stars in his eyes. He jumped slightly as he remembered why he came her. "Oh! Jiji! Please let me be a ninja 'ttebayo!" Jiraiya and Sarutobi let loose a sweatdrop as Naruto got down on his knees. "I know I'm ready this time, so please say yes Jiji!" Naruto had leapt onto the desk with wide blue eyes just begging the Hokage.

"Gyahahaha!" Naruto turned and snarled slightly as he saw that strange white haired person laughing at him.

"It's not funny, 'ttebayo! I'm gonna be the Hokage someday, and then we'll see who's laughing, 'ttebayo!" His face screwed up in confusion. "Who are you anyway?"

A loud clap was heard as Sarutobi slapped his forehead while Jiraiya smiled widely in response.

"I am the man who travels the world in search of perfect beauty! Women everywhere tremble in delight at the mere mention of my name! Men glower in jealousy at my heroic good deeds! My name is feared in all the nations! Trained by the toads as a holy sage of Mount Myoboku! I am the great! The gallant! JIRAIYA!" All this was said as the man broke out in a kabuki dance. Naruto stared nonplussed as Jiraiya held his pose.

"What a weirdo." Jiraiya collapsed as Naruto turned to Sarutobi again. "So come on Jiji! Can I be a ninja or what?!"

Sarutobi's eyes twinkled. "I don't know…"

"Please Jiji! I'll do anything!" At this point Naruto was on his knees again and was performing the saddest, most pitiful Puppy Eyes that Sarutobi had ever seen.

"All right, all right," he chuckled as Naruto lit up. "I'll let you join the academy this year."

All over the village a single scream was heard "ALL RIGHT, 'TTEBAYO!"

Jiraiya and the Hokage picked at their ears as Naruto started jumping and chanting "Ninja! I'm gonna be a ninja, 'ttebayo!"

"Settle down Naruto!" the Hokage laughed as he watched the theatrics of his favorite blonde. "I need to speak with you before you leave."

"Well hurry up Jiji! I've gotta get some ramen to celebrate!"

The hokage nodded to Jiraiya subtly. He nodded as he placed privacy seals all over the room. Naruto watched confused before paying attention as the hokage started speaking.

"What I am about to tell you is a huge secret. I want you to promise me that you will never speak of this outside of this room."

"Sure Jiji. I can keep a secret," Naruto said as he fidgeted with impatience.

"Let me see your hands."

Naruto looked surprised. "You mean my bandages, right?"

The hokage just nodded. Naruto walked up and gave him his hands. He watched as the hokage bit his thumb before forming a handseal.

"Release!" he yelled as he slammed his hands onto Naruto's own. Naruto yelped as he watched kanji appear on the bandages before they all moved to Jiji's hands and disappeared.

"What was that supposed to do, 'ttebayo?" Naruto asked as he eyed his bandages warily.

"You can take them off now Naruto."

"Really, 'ttebayo?" he asked. "They're not gonna zap me like that one time are they?"

"No, I removed the 'zapper'," the hokage said as he smiled.

"Oh, okay," He frowned. He slowly began to unwrap the bandages. He pulled off the last one and started stretching his hands. "Wow, it feels pretty good, 'ttebayo!" He froze in place as he got a good look at his palm. Was that…teeth?

"Wh-wh- WHAT THE HELL IS THAT, 'TTEBAYO?!"

Jiraiya started rolling with laughter as Naruto tried to shake the mouth off his hands. He started panicking even more when he saw another mouth on his other hand.

"GET IT OFF! PUT IT BACK UNDER THE BANDAGES!"

Finally the hokage had seen enough. "Jiraiya, stop laughing and get up." He turned to the boy in front of him. "Calm down Naruto."

"CALM DOWN! HOW CAN I BE-"

"I said calm down!" he boomed as he grabbed Naruto's shoulders. Naruto was shaking like a leaf in the hokage's arms as he stared at his hands. It slowly ebbed away as all the tension left him. He still couldn't tear his eyes away from his hands however.

"Good," the hokage said as he leaned back. "Now let me explain. Those hands are a result of the explosion release kekkei genkai."

"What's that, 'ttebayo?"

Jiraiya was the one to answer. "They make bombs."

"Bombs," Naruto said as he paled. He held his hands far away as though they would explode.

"Yes, bombs. The former users of the jutsu used clay to act as a detonator."

Naruto squinted and nodded his head. Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "They turned clay into explosives."

"Whoa, no way!" Naruto breathed as he observed his hands.

"It is a kekkei genkai of Iwa. I don't know how you gained the ability."

Naruto looked up at the hokage. "How do I use them, 'ttebayo?"

The hokage unrolled the scroll on his desk. "Inside here is all the information we were able to gather. I'm going to give this to you so that you can practice." Naruto took the scroll and started reading. "I'm going to give you scrolls for chakra control as well. Several of those techniques require a fair amount of it. Come by after class tomorrow."

"Cool! Thanks Jiji!"

"I'm going to trust you, Naruto, to keep this a secret. Please don't break my trust. Now let me show you how to wrap up those hands. You need to keep them hidden." After a short demonstration, Naruto shot off screaming about a ramen feast.

"He seems like a happy kid," Jiraiya said. His sensei deflated at those words.

"I wish that were true."

"What do you mean?" Jiraiya asked confused.

"The civilians all fear him. This fear of the unknown drives them to isolate the boy." Jiraiya frowned. "They refuse to give him an ounce of their attention unless he's pulling pranks

"Damn it!" Jiraiya yelled in frustration.

"The clans seem unsure of what to think right know. They are all holding their cards close to the chest for now."

"So all we can do is wait?" Jiraiya asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. If I intervene, nothing will change. He needs to earn their respect by himself, with no help from me."

* * *

Naruto sat at his desk, drool running out of his mouth. Beside him lay the scroll full of the techniques. He had read as much as he could before he fell asleep. He had to admit that the abilities that his hands possessed were awesome. I mean, creating a bomb that could think like he could was plain scary.

He grunted as the sunlight hit his eyes. Squinting, he woke up while blearily glancing at his clock. 9 o'clock a.m. He stared without comprehending, blinking owlishly, before it suddenly hit him.

"CRAP! I'M LATE!" He dashed around the house grabbing all his things before he rushed for the door. Checking to make sure his bandages were on−he didn't want to break Jiji's trust after all−he gave a satisfied nod before running straight to the academy.

Iruka looked over his new class. To be honest he was a little intimidated by this lot. Almost every clan heir had ended up in this class. It was humbling to think that each of the next clan leaders would have been taught by him.

"Sorry I'm late sensei!"

And speak of the devil, the container just arrived. The jinchuriki was also a part of this class. He was told by others that he should ignore him, as it was the best way to deal with the boy. However, he decided to reserve judgment until later.

"It's fine. Please take a seat Naruto-san."

Naruto thanked him before sitting in a seat next to the Akimichi heir. He raised an eyebrow as they both greeted each other like friends. He cleared his throat to gain their attention.

"Good morning class. I am Iruka Umino. You may call me Iruka-sensei. I will be your teacher for the next few years. Under me you will learn the basics of being a ninja. If you are able to stick with it, when you graduate, you will become a genin of the Hidden Leaf Village." Light murmuring broke out. "Before we begin I want to ask you a question that I hope you will try to find an answer for." He started pacing back and forth. "Here in the leaf village, our shinobi adhere to a philosophy called the Will of Fire. I want you to try and find out what that is. When you graduate, I will give you the answer. If you can find the answer for yourself, it will be much easier to graduate." He observed each person drop in thought as he stared at them. "Well enough of that. We will start today with taijutsu instruction. Mizuki-sensei will teach you the basic academy style."

The students turned as another person walked in. "All right everyone, follow me." Iruka watched the container specifically as all the other students filed out. He wasn't sure but he thought he saw a familiar look in the blonde's eye. The same look he gave himself in the mirror when he was all alone.

* * *

Naruto sighed to himself as he trudged towards the hokage's office. Today was the single most boring experience he had ever been forced to suffer through. He thought that he was training to be a ninja, not a smart person! All that Iruka spouted were useless bits of information that he was positive had nothing to do with being a ninja. Who cares about what year we signed the treaty with Iwa? It obviously doesn't help him today. Sighing in boredom he just opened the doors of the tower and walked inside. He grinned at the fuming secretary from yesterday and waved hello to the ANBU he passed by on his way in.

"Hey Jiji! I'm here."

"Ah Naruto!" the hokage's voice came from behind a stack of papers. "I've been expecting you. Just give me a few seconds."

Naruto stared nonplussed at the paperwork in front of him as it slowly shifted sideways. "You really need to get someone else to do that stuff for you, 'ttebayo."

The hokage just sighed despondently as he observed the paperwork beside him. "If I don't do it, then who will?"

Naruto frowned. "Couldn't you just order those two old people that follow you everywhere to do it?"

The hokage smiled. "Nope, I'm afraid I'm stuck with it."

Naruto glared at the papers in front of him. "Someday I promise I'll get rid of these for you, Jiji. And I never break my promises."

"I look forward to that day, Naruto," the hokage said, a hint of desperation in his voice. "Anyway, here is a scroll with the first chakra control exercise I want you to learn. I've set up a training ground for you to practice in where no prying eyes will disturb you."

Naruto took the scroll. "Thanks Jiji!"

"Neko-san will escort you to the training grounds."

Naruto jumped as the ANBU appeared next to him. "Someday, I'm gonna be able to do that to you guys, 'ttebayo."

"Come Naruto-san."

"Bye, Jiji!" Naruto yelled as he followed the ANBU out the door.

The hokage shook his head before he turned to the paper stack. He paled as he realized the damn thing looked even bigger than before.

* * *

Naruto and the ANBU arrived at the training grounds after a long walk through the village.

"Here you are Naruto-san. This is where you will train."

"Thanks Neko-chan!" he yelled as she disappeared. He turned around and placed both scrolls on the ground in front of him. He opened the techniques scroll first as that was the one he wanted to learn the most.

"Let's see," he said as he started to read aloud. "The first training exercise is training your hands to channel chakra into the substance within their mouths. The name of the technique is Explosion Style: Henge. Take a handful of dirt and allow your hands to eat- eat it." Naruto gagged. "Then focus chakra into your palms and think of the shape you wish to create. If needed, the ram seal can be used to help focus. The most effective method is a hollow ball. The way to gauge how much chakra is needed is simple. If the dirt crumbles in your hands after it has been spit up, you have not used enough chakra. If too much is used, the ball will be one solid piece with no hollow area in the center."

Naruto blinked. He barely understood any of that. How the heck was he supposed to train if he didn't understand? Before he almost lost it, he saw a small area of scrawl that didn't belong to the original writer.

_To train, place dirt in your hand and put your energy inside it. Shape it into a hollow ball and upchuck it. No ball, use more chakra. No inside, use less chakra._

"Now how come they didn't say that in the first place, 'ttebayo?" Naruto said as he started unwrapping his bandages. Putting the bandages beside him, he reached and grabbed a handful of dirt.

"Well then, it's now or never," he said as he allowed the hands to eat the dirt. Channeling as much chakra to his hand as he could, he imagined the ball that would come out. Forming the seal clumsily, he yelled out. "Explosion Style: Henge!" he watched as the hands opened their mouths and 'upchucked' a small ball. He flinched when the ball made a small crater in the grass below him.

"That's not good, 'ttebayo," he muttered silently as he stared at the dirt ball. On a hunch he called out. "Neko-san!"

The cat ANBU appeared beside him. "Yes Naruto-san?" Her tone belied her amusement.

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Um, can you tell me what happened, 'ttebayo?"

The ANBU chuckled slightly before replying. "Too much chakra, Naruto-san. That's why hokage-sama gave you that scroll on chakra control.

"So this scroll will help me to use less chakra?" he asked.

The ANBU just shook her head. Brat didn't realize how many ninja wished they could say those words. "Essentially, yes."

"Oh, okay, 'ttebayo!" she watched as he turned to the scroll and opened it up. "So, tree climbing?"

Naruto looked at the scroll in disbelief. "How the heck does climbing a tree help me?" He turned to the scroll in front of him. "This technique teaches you to regulate your chakra usage. By focusing your chakra to your feet, the hardest place to put it, you can stick to solid surfaces." Naruto's eyes glazed over as he realized the pure potential such a technique had for pranking. All of Konoha felt a sudden chill while Yugao just stared in horror. Forming the ram seal, Naruto began the process of launching himself away from trees over and over again.

* * *

**I need to know if any of you readers are willing to beta my story. I am convinced that browsing betas is a waste of time if none of them deign to answer you if they don't want to beta for you. It's annoying cause you can't tell whether they just haven't seen it, or they just ignored you.  
**

**Anyways. Please leave a review so that I can improve.**


	3. Chapter 2: Jumpsuits and Pranks

**A/N: Special shout out and thanks to ****TheBlackSeaReaper for beta-reading this chapter! Enjoy chapter 2!**

* * *

Naruto could not remove his eyes from such a wonderful sight. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen! He stood with his face plastered against the glass, his eyes drinking in the beautiful sight.

It is garish! It is bright orange! It is everything that Naruto aspired to be woven together in a single jumpsuit of glory!

He had to have it. "No" was no longer even an option as far as he was concerned. He'd even steal it and leave the money if he had to! He was not going to leave without that jumpsuit!

The civilian turned a glare to the boy as he walked into his shop. He watched him closely to make sure that the demon brat didn't try something. He watched the boy grab that atrocity he had been forced to hang up at the back of the shop.

"How much does this cost sir?" Naruto asked, trying to be as polite as possible. He watched the shopkeeper's eyes disappear into his hairline.

The brat wanted to buy this thing? He slowly calmed down as he pondered this. The boy was going to be a ninja, that much had been made perfectly clear. Why not sell him this ridiculously gaudy piece of clothing.

"You have a good eye my friend!" 'GAG' "I'll make you a deal. I'll sell you that outfit and five others like it for the low low price of 1500 yen each. In exchange, you make sure that you come to me for repairs, okay?"

Naruto looked like someone had just told him he was being offered free ramen. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He smiled brightly as he gave him the money. "I'm giving you official prank immunity, 'ttebayo!"

Now it was the shopkeeper's turn to look like a smiling, grinning fool. He just scammed him and was rewarded with a promise of never being pranked!

"Bye!" Naruto yelled as he dashed back to his apartment.

Once he arrived he quickly shucked his old clothing and donned the new jumpsuit. He grinned at his reflection as he admired the clothing.

"This is better than I thought!" Naruto stated as he spun to get a look at the entire outfit. "But it needs something else…" Naruto looked around before his eyes fell on the two objects that hokage-jiji had given him. They were little white spirals. "Those will do perfectly!" he said. Naruto quickly attached them to the shoulders of his jacket. "Now, how should I break these new clothes in…" he mused as his eyes quickly gained a pranking light. He allowed his eyes to wander to his window and watched as the sun began to set behind the monument. From this angle, the monument looked orange. All thought processes stopped.

'It's orange…' Naruto gained an evil grin that caused his ANBU guards to shiver. Naruto turned to begin plotting his greatest prank ever.

* * *

Iruka sighed as he started class. His favorite student (although he would vehemently deny it) was once again late. He only hoped that it was because he overslept instead of pranking again.

"Sorry I'm late sensei!"

"Naru-" Iruka was cut off as he visibly blanched at the attire the boy chose to wear. He noticed Ino Yamanaka furiously making the seal to dispel Genjutsu, and when that didn't work just holding her head with a look of total horror.

"What are you wearing?!" Iruka asked for the rest of the class.

"What these?" Naruto asked. "I got these clothes for cheap at a clothing store. Aren't they awesome, 'ttebayo!"

Naruto was subsequently beat over the head by both Ino and Sakura.

"How can you call that fashion monstrosity awesome!" Ino screeched.

"BAKA!" Sakura yelled as she once again brought her fist down on Naruto's head.

"ITAI! Sakura-chan," Naruto yelled as he sprang away from the two. Spotting Shikamaru lying lazily in the back corner, he jumped behind him. "Hide me Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru lazily glanced at the blonde beside him. "Troublesome orange blondes," he mumbled as he watched the two approach. He was saved by Iruka's intervention.

"Alright class, settle down," he said as he palmed his face. "Ino, Sakura, Naruto, take your seats." The girls grumbled before silently bickering as they headed towards Sasuke. Naruto just sat beside the pineapple headed boy he had used as a seal.

"Thanks, Shikamaru," he said with a smile.

The boy just lazily glanced at him. "It was too troublesome to move," he said before falling asleep. Naruto just snickered at the boy before copying his descent into sleep.

Iruka watched with a slight twitch as those two fell asleep. He just sighed as he flicked a piece of chalk at the two idiots. Only one impacted.

"Itai! Iruka-sensei! What gives!"

Iruka just stared at Shikamaru who had shifted his position at the exact second the chalk would have hit him. He decided to let it slide for now. "Pay attention Naruto! This is important information." He turned so that he was addressing the class. "Starting today, we'll begin sparring sessions every morning. These sessions will allow you to practice your taijutsu as well as point out where you need to improve. If there are no questions, we will head outside."

No one raised any questions so Iruka lead them outside. Naruto was at the front almost quivering with excitement. He was finally gonna get to show his skills!

Iruka led them outside to the sparring ring, a white circle about 20 feet in diameter painted on the ground. "Okay class, these are the rules. The purpose of these spars is to improve taijutsu. Therefore any use of jutsus is forbidden." Slight grumbling from a few students, but nothing major. "Any taijutsu style is allowed, although it is recommended that the academy style is used. Are there any questions?" Nobody spoke up. "Okay then. The first match will be Shikamaru Nara against Choji Akimichi."

Naruto watched the two walk reluctantly to the center. He knew they wouldn't fight. He had skipped with them a bunch and had already seen how close the two friends were. He turned his attention away as he looked over the rest of the class. 'Now who will I be fighting?' he thought as his eyes swept over the class.

"I forfeit," Shikamaru said lazily as he walked away from the circle. Iruka shook his head in exasperation. "Next, Naruto Uzumaki against Sasuke Uchiha." All the girls cheered as their beloved 'Sasuke-kun' walked into the arena. Naruto grinned widely as he jumped into the circle.

"All right! Thanks Iruka-sensei! Now I can show everyone my skills!"

Sasuke just stared blankly. Iruka looked on a little worried. "Both of you form the combat handsigns." He watched as the two of them reluctantly formed the half ram seal. "Hajime!"

Both boys flung themselves forward. Quicker than the untrained eye could see, Sasuke smashed Naruto into the ground and held his fist in a position to strike. However, Naruto wasn't done. All that chakra control hadn't been for nothing. He had mastered tree climbing, water walking and all the different combinations he could think of. His pranks also allowed him to practice his control as he fled the ANBU that were assigned to chase him, giving him a mock battlefield exercise. Using that control in a unique way, he forced just enough chakra to make his legs silently fly off the ground without causing a crater to give himself away and nail Sasuke in the back of his head. Using the momentum to his advantage, Naruto flipped them over to reverse the position of the two. Now Naruto was on top of Sasuke and pinning him to the ground.

The entire exchange had taken all of two seconds one to have Naruto pinned, the other to have them flipped over. The whole class stood still as their brains tried to compute the ridiculous amount of conflicting information.

Iruka, for his part, just stared for two more seconds before walking towards the two boys. "That's enough you two. Naruto wins this round."

THAT got a reaction. Mainly all the fan girls complaining about Naruto cheating. One girl with pale pupilless eyes was silently cheering for the blond ninja.

Naruto grinned as he stood up. He didn't care that most of the people were jeering at his success. Turning to the boy at his feet, he offered him his hand. "You almost had me there," he said as he waited for the boy to take his hand.

The raven-haired boy just slapped his hand away.

"Hey! I was trying to be nice, teme!" Naruto yelled.

"Enough you two," Iruka said. "Make the sign again and intertwine them as a sign of friendship."

Both boys sullenly formed the sign again as they walked towards each other. Their hands were inches away from touching when suddenly, the two were mirror images, holding each other's collars with a fist cocked and ready.

"Dobe," Sasuke growled as he tightened his grip.

"Teme," Naruto returned as he too tightened his grip.

"Stop it you two!" Iruka yelled, now becoming frustrated. The two just shrugged their teacher off as they continued glaring. Finally, Sasuke just scoffed.

"We'll fight again, Dobe. And when we do, I'll crush you." Sasuke turned and walked towards the crowd.

"Yeah, yeah, don't be such a teme, duckbutt," Naruto said as he also turned and walked away. Kiba rolled with laughter at that nickname. Unfortunately, it just brought the wrath of the fangirls down on his head.

Iruka sighed. Those two were gonna be trouble. "Naruto, please see me after class okay." Naruto just nodded. Iruka returned his attention to the spars as he called the next pair out. Naruto just stretched out as he waited to see who fought next.

* * *

Iruka watched the kids file out after he dismissed them for the day, all except for the blond enigma that sat before him.

"What did you want to ask me sensei?" Naruto asked.

Iruka looked at the boy, trying to decide how to proceed. "That was a clever trick you pulled today," he said as he watched the boy.

Naruto beamed. "Yeah, it was wasn't it! I totally flipped the teme on his ass!"

"It was pretty advanced chakra control for an academy student." He watched Naruto for any signs.

"Whaddaya mean?" Naruto asked as he gripped his bandages tighter.

"Something you want to tell me?" Iruka asked as he stared the boy down.

"Nope!" Naruto replied quickly. Too quickly.

"I see," Iruka said. "Well, that's all Naruto. Thank you for your time."

Naruto just looked confused before he shrugged. "Bye, sensei!" he yelled as he dashed to the one place that actually served him. Iruka watched the boy disappear. It seemed a visit with the hokage was in order.

Naruto was totally unaware of the scarred chunin's thoughts. All he wanted to do now was get home and plan. This prank was going to be unlike any other. It had to be perfect. He had been practicing his chakra control for two years now and he finally believed that he was ready to start learning the jutsu for his bloodline. These jutsu could be invaluable to his plan. Tonight, he trained hard. But for now, he simply plastered a smile on his face as he waltzed into his favorite ramen shop and ordered a huge quantity of the stuff. Hey what could he say? It was the food of the gods!

* * *

Iruka walked into the tower and gazed around the reception room. The place was always busy with mission requests coming in and out every day. He stepped up to the secretary's desk.

"Is the hokage free?" he asked.

The receptionist barely gave him a glance before she turned back to her paperwork. "He's free for now. Head on up."

"Thank you," Iruka bowed as he walked up the steps. He knocked on the door to the hokage's office and waited.

"Come in," the hokage's voice drifted out. Iruka stepped inside and watched as the hokage lit his pipe.

"Ah, Iruka. What brings you here today?"

"It's about Naruto, sir," he replied.

The hokage smiled. "And what about the boy do you wish to talk about?"

Iruka paused to gather his thoughts. "Today, the students sparred. Naruto was pitted against Sasuke for his spar. It started out normal. The Uchiha boy was rather quickly able to subdue Naruto since his taijutsu is definitely above Naruto's. However, when Naruto had been pinned to the ground he did something quite extraordinary to turn the tables."

"Go on," the hokage said as he waited.

"Naruto used his chakra to propel his feet into the back of Sasuke's head. It was absolutely flawless. The battle had turned in an instant." Iruka shook his head. "But the amount of chakra control needed to do what Naruto did is, quite frankly, ludicrous by academy standards."

"Ah, that's what is bothering you," the hokage said as he turned his gaze to the window. "I'm sure you remember his condition, Iruka." Iruka just nodded as he thought of the boy's tenant. "The reason we taught him control was so he could better utilize his talents. Naruto's chakra is, quite frankly, ridiculously high. It's so high, in fact, that my ANBU report that when he uses the most basic of jutsu, he has to actually keep himself from overloading them."

Iruka's eyes widened at the implications. "So you gave him early training in control so that he could use his chakra effectively."

"Exactly. Naruto's sheer chakra amount guarantees that he will never have perfect control." The hokage turned back to Iruka. "Better control also means he will rely less on the fox."

Iruka just nodded as he lost himself in thought. "Thank you for your time hokage-sama." Iruka bowed and left the way he came. The hokage watched him leave with a smile. The chunin was the best teacher he had ever assigned to the academy. He'd be there for a long time if he had anything to say about it.

* * *

Naruto waltzed into his training grounds that evening with barely contained glee. He pulled out the scroll that he had kept stashed in his secret compartment for two years now and sat down to begin learning.

'All right. Let's try that first exercise again.' Naruto unwrapped his bandages and fed his hands some dirt. He furrowed his eyes in concentration as he poured as little chakra as he could manage into the dirt. He opened his fist and watched as the mouth spit up the dirt. It was in the shape of a ball like it was supposed to be. He used his other hand to poke it and watched as it crumbled into dust.

"Huh. Guess it was too little this time," Naruto mumbled as he grabbed a little more dirt. He wondered idly if his hands could taste it. He hoped not.

"A little more chakra," Naruto said as he pushed the new amount into the palm of his hand. Out popped a little ball once again. He watched it and rolled it around on his palm a bit. Finally, he poked it again and watched satisfied as it didn't fall apart. It echoed slightly as the hollow inside reflected his tap.

"Cool!" he said as he placed the ball on the ground and picked up the scroll. "Now what's next!" He opened his scroll and started reading to himself. "Once the user has successfully accomplished the first task, he or she must attempt to increase the size of the object. This is much harder than one would expect. Many of the later techniques require you to use a much smaller amount of clay than one would expect and create something very large. You must pool the chakra into the medium and picture the object. Once you have, allow your hand to spit the creation out. A single ram seal will allow the user to push their chakra into the object and cause it to expand. The chakra inside will be set to explode with a single handseal. It should be noted that the dirt will simply crumble instead of explode, hence the reason you use it during training."

Naruto fell back and held his head. Damn flowery words had absolutely no sense attached to them. For all he cared, the damn thing could be telling him to jump off a cliff singing the Iwa national anthem and stabbing a dummy. That would have made more sense than whatever it was that he had just read. He just sighed before looking for that super helpful scrawl he had seen each time he looked at the scroll.

_Do the same thing as above and create your little ball. Pump chakra into it to make it bigger. For the love of Kami, do not overload this and create a huge boulder! Test it with dirt so that you don't kill yourself in a fiery explosion._

Naruto smiled and set to work. He was sure he had already thought this, but this mystery person was a blessing straight from Heaven. Curses would fill the air as the clearing filled with huge piles of dirt. The ANBU in the trees just chuckled as she watched the blond boy work on it for hours. She suddenly blinked in confusion. The boy was just gone. Disappeared. Vanished. Completely absent from the field. Disappearances from the boy usually ended with property damage of some sort so her next statement wasn't unexpected.

"Shit!"

Naruto grinned as he heard the echoing shout of the ANBU guard. He hated making jiji panic, but it was absolutely important that NO ONE saw this specific training. Finding a place that he was relatively certain would stay undiscovered for at least an hour, he sat down and dunked his open palm into a bucket of paint. Pulling it out, he watched as the hand seemed to swish the liquid before spitting out a small blob. He placed it on the blank scroll he had bought earlier and made the ram seal. The smile threatened to split his face as the blob exploded in a splatter of color. This. Was. Perfect. He quickly set about practicing his technique so that when the time came, everything would be flawless.

* * *

**Please review! Criticism is encouraged, flame are rejected.**


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